Right, I know I’m overdosing on soups at the moment. Must be the sudden change in the weather. This is tasty stuff. You could add any vegetables you like to this; some pasta would be nice too.
Ingredients
- 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 2 leeks, halved and sliced
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g can mixed beans
- fresh flat-leaf parsley
- parmesan cheese, grated
Method
- Dry-fry the streaky bacon in a non-stick pan, no need to add oil, until it’s golden.
- Add the leek and celery and fry on a moderate heat until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the stock, beans, tomato purée, season well, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Before serving, season with freshly ground black pepper then mix in some chopped parsley and some grated parmesan cheese.
Serves 3-4.
Granted, the so-called “Portuguese Green Soup” in the photo here looks more red than green. But you get the idea.
Ingredients
- chorizo, 150g-200g, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 head savoy cabbage, finely shredded
Method
- Fry the chorizo in a little oil until it starts to brown.
- Add the onion, celery & garlic and fry until the onions have coloured.
- Fry the chilli flakes and the paprika for a minute more.
- Add the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas and cabbage and simmer for about 8 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a handful of chopped parsley.
Serves 2-3.
I’m not sure how authentically ‘Moroccan’ this is, but it’s quite possibly the most delicious soup I’ve ever made; and that includes my potato and leek effort which requires a pint of cream. It’s hot, spicy, sweet and sour. I’d imagine this would be a fantastic soup to cure a hangover; protein, Vitamin C, chilli-heat. Like a Moroccan Alka-Seltzer.
The lemon juice and fresh coriander lift this soup into a different dimension so don’t be tempted to omit either. You can substitute the vegetables and pulses as you wish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 600 ml vegetable stock (Marigold is good)
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 400g can chickpeas
- 1 tbsp harissa (this will make the soup quite hot, so use less if you want)
- 100g fine beans, chopped into 2cm lengths (or 100g frozen broad beans)
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
- large handful chopped fresh coriander
Method
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot and fry onion, celery and garlic for 10 ten minutes until the onions are coloured and the celery is almost tender. Add the ground cumin and fry for another minute.
- Turn up the heat and add the stock, tomatoes, green beans, chickpeas, harissa and some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 8 mins.
- Add the lemon juice and cook for another minute.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the lemon zest and fresh coriander, then serve.
Serves 3-4.
Any dish that contains chillis and coconut milk is good enough for me. This recipe uses butternut squash as it’s base, enhanced by Thai spices and coconut milk. Spicy and absolutely delicious. I like to add some chopped green beans and peas to add some body to the soup, but you can leave these out if you wish.
I like to serve this with a blob of créme fraiche and some toasted pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 2 medium size butternut squash, about 1kg in total, cubed
- 1 tbsp Thai curry paste
- piece of ginger, minced
- 750 ml chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- nam pla (fish sauce)
- 1 can coconut milk
- salt & pepper
- 1 lime
- green beans, finely chopped
- fresh coriander
Method
- Gently fry the onion and celery until tender and lightly coloured.
- Add the curry paste and fry to release it’s flavour; then add the butternut squash and minced ginger. Turn well to coat the squash with the spice mixture.
- Add the chicken stock, sugar and fish sauce, then bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the squash is tender.
- Pureé the soup using a stick blender then add the can of coconut milk and the green beans if you’re using them. Bring gently back to a simmer then season with salt, pepper and juice from half of the lime. Adjust the seasoning, it may need more lime juice.
- Add a good handful of chopped, fresh coriander and serve.
Serves 4.
